Compression kinking failure in spruce(Picea Abies) is investigated experimentally using a high resolution video camera. Three distinct stages of kinking are identified; incipient kinking, transient kinking and steady-state kinking. The different mechanisms governing these stages are discussed. Incipient kinking is found to be governed by the longitudinal shear yield strength and the high local fiber misalignments intrinsic in the microstructure of wood. Steady-state kinking takes place under constant applied stress and continues even for very large deformations.